Hello Guys new to the forum and coin collecting. Going through a bunch of old coins i have had for a while. Never really cared to look at until recently. I have quite a few Kennedy half dollars. 1953-1968 for the most part. My question is this. Did they ever make any 1965 Kennedy half Dollars on a 90% silver clad? I know they had stopped in 1964, but were there any error coins. I have heard this had happened, but before i check a lot of coins, i would see if it does indeed exsist. thanks
Welcome to CoinTalk, Mr Big. Kennedy Half Dollars were minted from 1964 to present. Your 1953 and other Half Dollars dated before 1964 are not Kennedy Halves. If the Half Dollars are from the '50s to 1963 they are Franklin Half Dollars. 1965 Kennedy Halves were 40% silver. They are composed of 80% silver outer shells with a 20% silver core for a total silver content of 40%. It is possible that a few 90% silver (not 90% silver clad) Halves were struck on 90% silver planchets that got stuck in the machinery before the changeover to 40% silver clads. These would be considered error coins and could be worth a substantial premium. (But your chances of finding one are VERY slim.) The best test to see if you have any is to weigh them. 90% silver halves weigh 12.50 g and 40% silver clad halves weigh 11.50 g. Silver was not removed from Kennedy Halves until 1971 so any Kennedy Half dated 1970 or earlier has silver content and is worth more than face value.
Thanks for all the information. I always thought coin collecting was for "nerds" :kewl: it is actually pretty fun. I think i may have found another hobby.
Welcome to the forum. There was actually a recent thread about coin collectors being nerds, just in case you want to read it. http://www.cointalk.com/forum/t52621/
Mr Big, Some coin collectors may be nerds but most of us are Average Joes who happen to like to collect coins. The more you get into the hobby the more you learn about coins. And the more you learn about coins the more you realize that you don't know about coins. Coin collecting is a fascinating hobby. You can make it as technical as you want or you can be a casual collector. Hang around here for a while and you may just become a coin collector.
AHHH YES WELCOME TO THE FORUM. You may want to look into purchasing a copy of what is called the Red Book on coins. It is produced by Whitman Publishing and is usually available on many book type web sites, coin stores, coin shows. For general information, such as on those Halves you have, that book is loaded with information. The prices in that book for coins is rather off the wall but for info, really great. You may want to check out some used book stores or even a flea market for one. The Walmart web site for books usually has them about the cheapest.
